meddyliol - Posted - 05/11/2007:  03:35:22

Hi, as a newby and have a little experience with fingerstyle guitar, can the banjo be played like this? i.e. similar to a classical guitar. All I seem to read about is frailing and clawhammer. I have two DVD's about clawhammer playing by Dan Levenson but he seems to be playing it frailing style, playing down with the finger nail. I thought that claw hammer used an up picking style. Anyway, my question is about whether or not the banjo can be played finger style and if so where can I get some online lessons?

Thanks

Brian

janolov - Posted - 05/11/2007:  05:36:14

There is a "genre" called classic banjo, which has been derived from classic guitar. You can read about it on http://www.classicbanjo.com . At http://www.classicbanjo.com/tutor.htm there are some old tutors (from around 1900 I think)

There are also some modern tutors in print available at music stores. When you search for material search for "classic banjo" rather than finger-style. There is also a discussion group http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/classicbanjo/ where classic banjo issues are discussed


Janolov

1four5 - Posted - 05/11/2007:  08:52:56

Look into blues fingerpicking in open G tuning on guitar. Sometime refered to as country blues. That's what I was into before one of my friends brought a banjo to a jam. I picked it up, and have never been the same. Everything transferes over, and just speed up the patterns and you can really get down on a banjo. My guitars are also tuned to open G. Very often i go between my banjo and guitar, and play them very similar. Both with a thumb pick and 3 finger picks.

Dean

trapdoor2 - Posted - 05/11/2007:  10:21:30

Brian,

You've got a great tradition of classic fingerpicked banjo right in your own backyard. You Brits call it "Classical" banjo (we call it "Classic" as Janolov has shown). Start with http://www.zither-banjo.org. If you're near the Midlands, you might contact Danielle Saxon-Reeves, a fine player and teacher...of both classical guitar and classic banjo. http://www.daniellesaxonreeves.co.uk/

edit: well..."we" being Americans who use the term "Classic". Janolov probably has a Swedish term for it!

If you're looking for traditional American music in a fingerpicked style (other than Bluegrass), the style exists but resources are slim. I don't know of any online tutorials for those styles.

"If banjos needed tone rings, S.S. Stewart would have built 'em that way."

===Marc

Edited by - trapdoor2 on 05/11/2007 10:24:34

meddyliol - Posted - 05/11/2007:  11:26:54

Thanks youse guys. Not only am I a Brit but a Welsh brit at that. Anyway, I was beginning to think that this style couldn,t be played properly on the banjo, it seems I was wrong. I have always been a blues fan from the british blues bands to the brilliant american singers. I now have something to get my teeth into. By the way, I did used to live in the Midlands, Wolverhampton to be exact. (I am a Wolves fan).

Thanks

Brian